Native Hawaiian forum on Thursday
Advertiser Staff
The Asian American Journalists Association is inviting the public to attend a forum on Native Hawaiian issues and to view screenings of critically acclaimed films next week at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. The events are free and will be held in conjunction with the AAJA's 2006 national convention.
The Native Hawaiian forum will be conducted in a town hall meeting format. It will include the history and future of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. Panelists at the forum will discuss the issue and the place of the Akaka bill in the debate.
It will take place in the Maui and Kaua'i rooms of the Sheraton on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.
"Being in Hawai'i, it seemed natural that we would want to have a public forum on Native Hawaiian issues," said Craig Gima, co-chairman of the AAJA-Hawai'i chapter.
Jeanne Mariani-Belding, who serves as AAJA's national vice president for print, said the forum is an "opportunity to have a public discussion on an issue that's vital to Hawai'i. I'm glad AAJA can provide that."
Speakers at the forum will include:
On June 24, the documentaries "Slanted Screen" and "An Untold Triumph" will be shown in the O'ahu and Waialua rooms of the Sheraton from noon to 3 p.m.
"Slanted Screen," a one-hour documentary, shows the portrayal of Asian men on the big screen. "An Untold Triumph" tells the story of 7,000 Filipino immigrants who sought the chance to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.
The showing provides the opportunity to "recognize the contributions of the Filipino-American soldiers who fought in World War II, something that is maybe not as well-known as should be," Gima said.
The convention, to be held June 21 to 24 at the Sheraton Waikiki, will bring together more than 1,200 journalists and media professionals from across the country.
It is AAJA's 25th anniversary as the nation's largest professional organization for Asian-American and Pacific islander journalists.
